The US Resiliency Council has launched a new building rating system to evaluate earthquake performance based on decades of research. The rating system provides ratings of 1-5 stars for safety, damage, and recovery to help owners understand expected building performance in earthquakes. Architects can use the rating system to guide clients in making design decisions that improve disaster performance and recovery for minimal increased costs. The rating considers structural systems as well as components like cladding, partitions, and mechanical systems that are major cost drivers after earthquakes.

1. U.S. Resiliency Council (USRC)
Earthquake Building Rating System
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© U.S. Resiliency Council 2016
Website: www.USRC.org | Phone: (650) 877-2150 | Email: info@USRC.org
A New Tool for Architects in Designing for Resilience
The US Resiliency Council (USRC) has launched a Building Rating System for earthquake hazards with other hazards
such as wind, flood and blast currently under development. This first-of-its-kind performance rating is based on
decades of earthquake engineering research and observations of earthquake damage and recovery.
A building performance rating helps owners, tenants, investors and other stakeholders understand how a building
will perform in the next large earthquake. Without it, many owners may be surprised and disappointed with how
their code-compliant buildings fare. Building codes are minimum
standards developed to prevent collapse, not to eliminate damage or
make sure the building remains usable after the earthquake.
Dramatic structural failures get press coverage but past earthquakes
show that the most expensive repair costs are typically not from the
structure but rather from elements like cladding, partitions, ceilings,
mechanical, electrical and plumbing components. Critical or high
value contents may be irrepairably damaged. Lost revenue and other
business interruption costs sometimes exceeds the value of the
building itself.
Architects Leading the Way in Resilient Design
One-on-one with clients, architects advise on hundreds of decisions large and small that affect not just
sustainability but also disaster performance and recovery. Architects have the power to guide clients in
understanding the issues and making informed design decisions. Structural engineers have developed credible
ways to predict building earthquake performance and can help design for better and more reliable performance
in cost effective ways. Working together, design teams can achieve the client’s desired performance for structural,
architectural and MEP components.
As a profession, architects have invested in research, training, and new partnerships to advance the science
and practice of building resilience. For example, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has produced policy
statements and publications, hosted a Resilience Summit in 2015, and continues to work with other entities such
as the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in growing its National Resilience Initiative (NRI)
funded by the Architects Foundation.
US Resiliency Council: Who We Are
The USRC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit led by professionals
from many disciplines. Membership is open to
public and private organizations, architectural and
engineering firms, contractors, building owners,
institutions, government agencies and any concerned
stakeholder in the built environment.
Safety
Damage
Recovery
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Forge partnerships to implement rating systems for other hazards such as
hurricanes/tornadoes, flood, and blast.
Founding members include all major professional organizations involved in earthquake engineering, many large
and small structural engineering firms, architectural firms, contractors, and hardware and software suppliers.
Is this the performance a client would desire?
EARTHQUAKE
?
USRC Building Ratings: Dimensions and Definitions
Please refer to the disclaimers in the full version of Dimensions and Definitions at: http://www.usrc.org/rating-definitions
Injuries and blocking of exit paths unlikely: Expected performance results in conditions unlikely to cause injuries
or to keep people from exiting the building.
Serious injuries unlikely: Expected performance results in conditions that are unlikely to cause serious injuries.
Loss of life unlikely: Expected performance results in conditions that are unlikely to cause loss of life.
Loss of life possible in isolated locations: Expected performance results in conditions associated with partial
collapse or falling objects, which have a potential to cause loss of life at some locations within or around the building.
Loss of life likely in the building: Expected performance results in conditions associated with building collapse,
which has a high potential to cause death within or around the building.
SAFETY: The potential for people in the building to get out after a disaster and avoid bodily injuries or loss of life. A safety
rating is required in all building evaluations.
Minimal damage: Repair Cost likely less than 5% of building replacement cost.
Moderate damage: Repair Cost likely less than 10% of building replacement cost.
Significant damage: Repair Cost likely less than 20% of building replacement cost.
Substantial damage: Repair Cost likely less than 40% of building replacement cost.
Severe damage: Repair Cost likely greater than 40% of building replacement cost.
DAMAGE: Repair cost as a percentage of the building’s overall replacement cost including structural, architectural, mechanical,
electrical and plumbing systems. It does not include damage caused by breaks/leaks in water and gas pipes or contents damage.
Immediately to days: The expected performance will likely result in people being able to quickly re-enter and
resume use of the building from immediately to a few days, excluding external factors.
Within days to weeks: The expected performance may result in delay of minimum operational use for days to
weeks , excluding external factors.
Within weeks to months: The expected performance may result in delay of minimum operational use for weeks to
months, excluding external factors.
Within months to a year: Expected performance may result in delay of minimum operational use for months to
a year.
More than one year: Expected performance may result in delay of minimum operational use for at least one year
or more.
RECOVERY: An estimate of the MINIMUM timeframe to carry out sufficient repairs and to remove major safety hazards and obsta-
cles to regain occupancy and use of the building, but not necessarily restore it to its full intended functions.

2. Better Earthquake Performance Doesn’t Have to Significantly Increase Costs
Some clients can benefit significantly in the long run from investing in beyond-code earthquake performance,
especially those who have buildings that are critical to their organization’s core business and that house functions or
equipment not easily replaced or relocated. For a new building, a seismic design that results in five star performance
may only add 1% to 10% to total up front construction costs, or about as much as a typical contingency budget.
USRC Ratings Give Users Critical New Information
A USRC earthquake rating considers many aspects of a building’s performance, including its structure,
mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and architectural components such as cladding, windows,
partitions, and ceilings. This assessment is then communicated by awarding one to five stars in three dimensions:
Helping Architects Deliver on a Broader Definition of Sustainability - Recovery
Sustainability promotes designs that reduce our impact on the environment.
The USGBC and other rating systems have revolutionized the industry for
green construction. However, LEED® certified buildings are typically not
designed for the environment to have lower impacts on them. Damage and
loss of use for LEED®-rated buildings in Hurricane Sandy was significant.
Businesses are increasingly understanding that the ability of a community
or business to respond to and rapidly recover from earthquakes and
other natural disasters requires reducing the impact of shocks to the built
environment on people’s lives and livelihoods. Community recovery and
viability depend on it.
Architects Play Many Roles in Resilient Design Using USRC’s Rating System
Architects are key in integrating resilience planning and objectives into the design process, just as they have been in
the effort to integrate sustainability. They do this in many ways.
Architects work with clients and the structural engineer to understand the hazards of concern, their impacts on
buildings, and to help establish appropriate performance goals and options for integrating them into the building
design. A rating system is an analysis and communication tool to help with this process. Rating systems such as the
USRC’s provide flexibility because they focus on estimating performance more than on prescribing certain features
(as with LEED).
Architects educate the building owner / client about the multiple benefits of asking for and working with a USRC-
qualified engineer. With a rating, owners can:
Better understand and control their risk exposure.
Increase resale value of the building.
Have a single, quality-controlled and portable report
about the building’s expected performance.
Potentially improve lease rates because tenants are in
a safer building and will be able to resume operations
more quickly after an event.
Enhance their reputation and reap public relations
benefits with the ability to display a rating placard on
the building.
and advocate for the importance of a building rating for
community resiliency and getting the economy back on
track after the event.
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The public & community leaders need to know how well their buildings will perform in the case of
earthquakes and other natural hazards so they can assess future disaster scenarios, reduce their
risk, and better prepare, respond and recover.
Architects work with the design team to implement the resilience performance levels for structural, architectural
and MEP components in the building. This includes participating in assessing non-structural damage which is a major
damage cost component.
Architects review building exterior skin and roofing and investigate options for allowing movement and
maintaining waterproofing integrity.
Architects integrate the resilience and recovery design goals with sustainability goals.
Architects communicate the economic and ethical importance of addressing building performance deficiencies
for a community as a whole. The public & community leaders need to know how well their buildings will perform in
the event of an earthquake or other natural hazards so they can assess future disaster scenarios, reduce their risk,
and better prepare, respond and recover.
Example of P-58 results on repair time and repair cost for
different design options.
The performance of building systems affects not just occupant safety but also the cost and time to carry out
necessary repairs and when people can begin reoccupying the building following an earthquake.
USRC’s Rating System builds on the model of USGBC LEED® ratings but addresses additional aspects of building
performance that are of critical importance for businesses and the communities in which they and their
employees work. The methodologies underlying use of USRC ratings will soon address the carbon impacts
of building damage following a major event, showing further linkage between the goals of environmental
sustainability and natural hazard resilience. The ultimate goal of USRC is to forge partnerships to implement
rating systems for other hazards such as hurricanes/tornadoes, flood, and blast
Safety, Damage (Repair Cost), and Recovery (Time to Regain Basic Function)
Repair Time after
M 7.2 Earthquake
Repair Cost after
M 7.2 Earthquake
Design
Option 1
4 Stars
Days
%ofReplacementCost
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
200
150
100
50
0
Design
Option 2
3 Stars
Design
Option 3
2 Stars
Design
Option 1
4 Stars
Design
Option 2
3 Stars
Design
Option 3
2 Stars
300
250
35%
30%
46%
40%
Structural
Components
9%
1% 1% 2% 1%
Partitions Interior
Finishes
Cladding
Mean Loss Contributions by Component Type
M7.2 Earthquake
Plumbing
and HVAC
Other
Components
Collapse
Total Loss = 12% Replacement Value